Russia-Ukraine war: ‘Putin’s henchmen’ threatening UK, Britons warned; Moscow’s troops reach key Ukrainian city
Russian troops have reached the Ukrainian city of Toretsk, an anchor of Kyiv’s defences in the eastern Donetsk region. Its capture could bring closer the prospect of Moscow securing the entire Donbas. Meanwhile, the MI5 boss has warned Russia wants to create “mayhem” on UK streets.
Big picture: Here’s what you need to know at the start of the week
We won’t be blogging live today, but as always, we begin each week with an overview of the biggest movements in the war over the last seven days.
On the front line
Russian forces were fighting street-to-street battles with Ukrainian troops in the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian town of Selydove, as Moscow’s forces pushed to gain control over the whole of the Donbas region, according to pro-Russian bloggers.
In recent weeks, Russia has surrounded towns in the Donetsk region and slowly constricted them until Ukrainian units were forced to withdraw.
According to military bloggers, they are doing the same to Selydove. The popular Ukrainian war blog DeepState showed the town to be in Ukrainian hands on Sunday.
North Korean troops in Russia
North Korea has sent 1,500 special forces troops to Russia’s Far East for training and will likely be deployed for combat, South Korea’s spy agency said on Friday.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused North Korea of deploying officers alongside Russian forces and preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to help Moscow’s war effort.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday he could not confirm the reports, but added such a move would be concerning, if true.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said there was no evidence of Pyongyang’s presence at this stage.
Russia and North Korea both deny the claims.
Ukraine’s so-called victory plan gets mixed reception
Last week, Mr Zelenskyy pitched his “victory plan” to the EU and NATO, the first step of which was unconditional membership of the alliance.
But he failed to get the invitation he was calling for – apart from staunch ally France, who offered strong support.
Later, at the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy democracies, defence ministers sought to reassure Ukraine that its path to NATO membership was “irreversible”.
Russia said Ukraine’s admission to NATO would make political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict impossible and lead to its escalation.
Prisoner swap
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 190 prisoners of war on Friday, in an agreement mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
Earlier in the week, Ukraine alleged nine of its drone operators and contractors were killed by Russian troops after they had surrendered in Kursk, Russia.
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Here’s your afternoon roundup:
Our live coverage remains paused today, but we’re always monitoring the situation in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
If you’re checking in, here is a summary of what’s happened over the last 24 hours:
Putin launches mass drone attack
Ukraine’s air defences shot down 80 out of 135 Russian drones launched overnight, the country’s military said this morning.
The air force said it lost track of 44 drones that likely fell into Ukrainian territory, while two drones strayed into neighbouring Belarus.
NATO member Romania scrambled fighter jets after an unidentified object breached its airspace near the Black Sea.
On the frontline, Ukraine’s general staff of the army said this morning that Kyiv’s forces had repelled 36 of 45 ground attacks near the strategic eastern city of Kurakhove over the past 24 hours, and that nine clashes were ongoing.
Zelenskyy presents ‘victory plan’ to Brussels
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has outlined his “victory plan” that he says would end the war in 2025 at the latest.
Ukraine’s president presented the five-point plan at an EU leaders’ Brussels summit, having first pitched it to his MPs this week.
The plan includes a formal invitation to join NATO and the lifting by allies of bans on long-range strikes with Western-supplied weapons deep into Russia.
It also includes a refusal to trade Ukraine’s territories and sovereignty, and the continuation of the incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region.
The Kremlin dismissed the plan, with a spokesman saying Kyiv needed to “sober up”.
US sanctions China-based companies
The US has sanctioned two Chinese companies it says are involved in the production of aerial drones used by Russia in Ukraine.
A spokesperson for the US state department said the drones had “been used to destroy critical infrastructure and has resulted in mass casualties”.
The US Treasure also said it was targeting a Russian company and its owner, Artem Yamshchikov, who it said serve as an intermediary between the Chinese companies and a Russian state-owned weapons company.
North Korea sending troops to Russia, says South Korea
South Korea’s spy agency has said that North Korea dispatched 1,500 troops to Russia last week and is expected to send more.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said the North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia have been given Russian military uniforms, weapons and forged identification documents.
Earlier, South Korean media, citing the NIS, reported that North Korea has decided to dispatch a total of 12,000 troops formed into four brigades to Russia. It would be North Korea’s first major participation in a foreign war, if confirmed.
Click here to read more on this story from our security and defence editor Deborah Haynes.
North Korea ‘sends 1,500 special forces with fake Russian IDs’ to support Putin’s war against Ukraine
Sky News
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Big picture: Here’s what you need to know at the start of the week
After Russian forces reached the outskirts of the eastern Ukraine frontline city of Toretsk last week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered his top brass to do “everything that can be done” to minimise Moscow’s advance along the frontline.
Here’s what you need to know as we enter a new week…
Zelenskyy says North Koreans fighting with Russia
Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s relationships with its allies must evolve after claiming North Korea is supporting Russia with troops and weapons.
“We see that the alliance between Russia and such regimes as the North Korean one is getting stronger,” Ukraine’s president said in his nightly video address.
“This is not just about the transfer of weapons, this is in fact about the transfer of people from North Korea to the armed forces of the occupiers.”
South Korea’s defence minister Kim Yong-hyun said last week that “there was a high possibility” North Korea could deploy troops to help Russia in the war with Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the idea of North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine as “fake news”.
UK sanctions Russian troops using ‘barbaric’ chemical weapons in Ukraine
The UK sanctioned troops in a Russian unit and their commander for the use of “barbaric chemical weapons” on the battlefield in Ukraine last week.
The Foreign Office said Moscow’s forces had “openly admitted to using hazardous chemical weapons on the battlefield”, with “widespread use of riot control agents and multiple reports of the use of the toxic choking agent chloropicrin”, which was first used during the First World War.
Russia claims another village as forces advance in Donetsk
Russian troops are continuing their advance in eastern Ukraine, according to Moscow.
Soldiers captured the small village of Zolota Nyva in the Donetsk region, according to the defence ministry.
The village is 20km west of Vuhledar, which was captured earlier this month.
Further north in the region, Russian troops are said to have reached the outskirts of the key city of Toretsk. Outmanned Ukrainian forces have been fending off assaults by Russian troops inside the strategic city.
Ukraine is ‘holding its frontline’ in Kursk despite attacks
Ukrainian troops are still holding their lines in Russia’s Kursk region despite attempts from Moscow’s forces to break through, Mr Zelenskyy said.
Russian military sources claimed last week to have recaptured nearly two dozen settlements in the area.
“There were attempts by Russia to push back our positions. But we are holding the defined lines,” said Ukraine’s president.
UK, France, Italy and Germany to help grow Ukraine’s industrial defences
Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov said he came back from a meeting with Western defence partners with “concrete results” for Kyiv.
Mr Umerov visited counterparts from France, the UK, Italy and Germany to discuss “specific steps to increase the production of weapons”.
“All four countries confirmed that investments in the Ukrainian defence-industrial complex will grow,” he said.
The UK has pledged to provide additional long-range weapons, artillery systems, and robotic systems, while French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the possibility of opening a training centre for drone operators in France, according to the announcement.
Prosecutors open investigation into alleged POW killings
Ukraine’s prosecutor general said his office had opened an investigation after Russian troops reportedly shot nine Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered as prisoners in Kursk on 10 October.
“The killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and an international crime,” Andriy Kostin said.
“A criminal case has been opened over the violation of the laws and customs of war combined with premeditated murder.”
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Here’s your evening roundup
Our live coverage remains paused today, but we’re always monitoring the situation in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
If you’re checking in, here is a summary of what’s happened over the last 24 hours:
Russian forces are trying to force Ukrainian troops from their positions inside Russia’s Kursk region, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says. In his nightly address, he said Ukraine’s troops were “holding the designated lines” despite attempts by Russia to push back their positions.
Ukraine’s president also called for more support from Ukraine’s allies amid warnings that Russia is “transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces”. He said Ukraine needs “more long-range capabilities” and “more sustained supplies for our forces rather than a simple list of military hardware”.
Elsewhere, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 68 drones and four missiles into its territory overnight. It added that 31 drones were shot down over the regions of Kyiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, Sumy and Cherkasy.
It comes after Kyiv claimed its forces hit a fuel depot in Luhansk supplying Russia’s army on Friday night, causing a large fire.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general says his office has opened an investigation after Russian troops reportedly shot nine Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered as prisoners in Kursk Oblast on 10 October.
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Big picture: The key stories from the past 24 hours of the war in Ukraine
We won’t have live coverage of the conflict in Ukraine today, but here are the key lines from the past 24 hours:
Outmanned Ukrainian forces have been fending off assaults by Russian troops inside the strategic city of Toretsk, Kyiv’s military said late on Wednesday, as Russia continued its grinding offensive in Ukraine’s east. Ukrainian military spokesperson Anastasia Bobovnikova said Russian troops were pushing forward in Toretsk, a frontline city since 2014, and “completely erasing” buildings and structures.
The Ukrainian military said on Thursday it struck an ammunition depot at the Khanskaya airfield in Russia’s Adygeya region overnight, saying a fire was observed at the military facility after the attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been at 10 Downing St in London for talks with the leaders of Britain and NATO on his “victory plan” for the war against Russia. US leader Joe Biden dropped out of the summit due to the arrival of Hurricane Milton in Florida.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were many media reports about ceasefire plans, but that Moscow had not received concrete signals from Kyiv.
Russian overnight and early morning attacks on Ukraine hit civilian and critical infrastructure facilities, injuring at least seven people across the country, authorities said on Thursday. Officials said at least six people were hurt and 29 buildings damaged in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, while a drone attack on the central city of Kryvyi Rih injured two people and damaged a five-storey residential building.
A cruise missile attack late on Wednesday damaged a storage area at an infrastructure facility in the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv, causing a blaze that was later extinguished, governor Vitaliy Kim said.
A ballistic missile attack had hit port infrastructure in the Odesa region late on Wednesday, killing six people and damaging a Panama-flagged container ship.
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Thanks for following along
We’re pausing our live coverage of the war in Ukraine for now, but if you missed anything, here are the key events from today:
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said it’s impossible for Ukraine to win against Russia on the battlefield;
His finance minister also announced that Budapest would hold up a massive G7 loan for Ukraine;
The head of MI5 warned the UK is at risk from an increased threat from “Putin’s henchmen” who want to see “mayhem” on British streets;
The UK sanctioned troops in a Russian unit and their commander for the use of “barbaric chemical weapons” on the battlefield in Ukraine;
Russian troops are continuing their advance in eastern Ukraine, according to Moscow, capturing one village and reaching the outskirts of a major city
Before we go, here’s a look at the battlefield situation:
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Guided bomb attack kills two
A guided bomb attack in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv has killed two people, according to officials.
Russian forces struck a “densely populated district”, regional governor Oleg Sinegubov said.
At least three people were injured, he added.
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Putin hosts Armenian PM at the Kremlin
Over in Moscow, Vladimir Putin is hosting Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian prime minister, at the Kremlin.
The meeting takes place on the sidelines of the Commonwealth of Independent States summit, with discussions set to be dominated by the normalisation of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, in which Russia takes a particular interest.
Armenia’s ties with its longtime sponsor and ally Russia have grown increasingly strained after a lightning Azerbaijani military campaign last September, in which it captured the long-disputed Karabakh region from Armenia.
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Orban: Ukraine cannot win on the battlefield
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that it is impossible for Ukraine to win against Russia on the battlefield, as he stressed the need for a ceasefire.
Hungary is among the most supportive European nations of Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia, consistently opposing sanctions and frustrating the European Union, NATO and as (recently as today) the G7 (see 1.46pm post).
Speaking at a news conference in Strasbourg, Mr Orban added that both direct and indirect communication is needed between Kyiv and Moscow – and suggested a third party mediates between them.
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UK, US, France and Germany to hold joint talks on Ukraine
Sir Keir Starmer will head to Berlin on Saturday for talks with leaders from the US, France and Germany.
Number 10 said the prime minister, Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz will discuss the war in Ukraine and worsening conflict in the Middle East.
The meeting will send a strong signal of continued military support for Ukraine, a German government source told the Reuters news agency.
The summit promises to drive home the message that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot hope to play for time and wait for Western support to cease, the source added.
The Middle East is also on the agenda.
Starmer to hold talks with Biden, Macron and Scholz on Middle East and Ukraine
Sky News
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American, 72, jailed for nearly seven years in Russia for fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine
By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
An American pensioner has been sentenced to nearly seven years in a Russian prison after being convicted of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
Stephen Hubbard, 72, was accused of signing a $1,000-per-month contract with a Ukrainian territorial defence unit in the city of Izyum in February 2022.
He was captured by Russian forces in April that year, shortly after the war began.
It is unclear when or how he arrived in Moscow.
After a trial was held behind closed doors in Moscow’s highest city court, journalists were allowed to witness the verdict – which was delivered yesterday.
Read more of Bennett’s report here:
American, 72, jailed for nearly seven years in Russia for fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine
Sky News
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Hungary to hold up another deal for Ukraine
Hungary will hold up a $50bn (£38bn) G7 loan for Ukraine until after the US presidential election next month, its finance minister has said.
Budapest is able to indirectly hold up the deal by delaying its own decision on the timing of the renewal of EU sanctions against Russia.
That’s because Washington needs the EU to revise its timeframe for the renewal of sanctions to every three years for it to contribute some $20bn (£15bn) to the G7 loan, matching the European Union’s contribution, EU officials have said.
“We believe that this issue, the prolongation of the Russian sanctions, should be decided after the US elections. We have to see in which direction the future US administration is going with this issue,” finance minister Mihaly Varga said.
Hungary is among the most supportive European nations of Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia, consistently opposing sanctions and frustrating the European Union and NATO over aid for Ukraine and accession of Kyiv and other neighbours to the alliance.
Viktor Orban, the country’s leader, is also a close ally of US presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has signalled a massive drawback of American financial and military assistance to Ukraine if he wins the race for the White House next month.
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Russia wants ‘mayhem’ on Britain’s streets, MI5 chief warns
By Jason Farrell, home editor
The UK is at risk from an increased threat from “Putin’s henchmen” who want to see “mayhem” on British streets, the head of MI5 has warned.
Ken McCallum, its director-general, said his team had “a hell of a job on its hands” and painted a picture of a multifaceted threat facing the UK, with resurgent terrorist organisations such as Al Qaeda and IS, in addition to state terrorism from countries such as Iran and Russia.
More than 750 Russian diplomats, many of them spies, have been expelled from Europe since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.
While this has dented Russian intelligence services, Mr McCallum said they are on a “sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European streets” with “arson, sabotage and more”.
He had a message to criminals considering taking on work for hostile states, saying: “If you take money from Iran, Russia or any other state to carry out illegal acts in the UK, you will bring the full weight of the national security apparatus down on you. It’s a choice you’ll regret.”
Read more: Russia wants ‘mayhem’ on Britain’s streets, MI5 chief warns
Sky News
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Pro-Russians in Donetsk celebrate Putin’s birthday
Vladimir Putin turned 72 yesterday.
In Donetsk, one of the regions the Russian president and his regime have illegally annexed in Ukraine, some pro-Russian locals came out to celebrate.
Some waved Russian flags, while others posed with posters with slogans that read: “Why would we want such a world if Russia is not there?”
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Ukraine investigating execution of prisoners of war
Ukraine is investigating another case of alleged Russian abuse and execution of prisoners of war, human rights officials have said.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian human rights commissioner, sent letters to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) yesterday over aerial footage which allegedly showed Russian forces torturing and executing three unarmed Ukrainian POWs in the Donetsk region.
He highlighted that the highest levels of the Russian military command appear to be tolerating Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
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UK sanctions Russian troops using ‘barbaric’ chemical weapons in Ukraine
The UK has sanctioned troops in a Russian unit and their commander for the use of “barbaric chemical weapons” on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The Foreign Office said Moscow’s forces have “openly admitted to using hazardous chemical weapons on the battlefield”, with “widespread use of riot control agents and multiple reports of the use of the toxic choking agent chloropicrin”, which was first used during the First World War.
“Among those sanctioned today are the Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence Troops of the Russian Armed Forces and its leader Igor Kirillov, responsible for helping deploy these barbaric weapons,” it said.
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, said: “Kirillov has also been a significant mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation, spreading lies to mask Russia’s shameful and dangerous behaviour.”
Also sanctioned are two Russian defence ministry laboratories for “providing support for the development and deployment of these inhumane weapons for use on the frontlines”.
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Johnson: I would allow British weapons to be used in Russia
The UK should be “out in front” in terms of supporting Ukraine, Boris Johnson has said, adding he would approve the use of British weapons against Russian targets by Kyiv.
Mr Johnson was one of Kyiv’s strongest allies while leading the UK, visiting Ukraine several times and approving a number of key weapons, aid and financial packages to aid its fight against Russia.
Speaking to presenter Wilfred Frost, the former prime minister discussed a number of angles of the conflict, from leaders to weapons.
Discussing the start of the war, Mr Johnson said Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine was partly down to “Western feebleness”, particularly in the handling of Russia’s previous invasion of Kyiv’s territory in 2014.
“Having got away with that… he thought we wouldn’t take sides in the way that we did,” he said.
He also praised the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“He has recruited the rest of the world, a huge proportion of the rest of the world [to the Ukrainian cause],” Mr Johnson said.
He said as a result comparisons could be made between the embattled Mr Zelenskyy and Winston Churchill – one he has made in the past.
Turning to Western weapons, Frost asked him whether he would allow the use of British munitions against targets inside Russia.
“I would if it was technically possible to give him the ability to do what he needs to do,” he said.
“The UK should be out in front, should be breaking the taboos,” he added, citing his administration’s decision to give Ukraine NLAW anti-tank weapons as an example.
Finally, he added that Ukraine joining NATO would be “game over” for Russia, who he believes would not continue to attack it if it was in the defensive alliance.
You can watch his full interview – in which he discusses the crisis in the Middle East, Brexit, the pandemic and partygate, among other topics, with Sky News here:
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Russia claims another village as forces advance in Donetsk
Russian troops are continuing their advance in eastern Ukraine, according to Moscow.
Soldiers captured the small village of Zolota Nyva in the Donetsk region, according to the defence ministry.
Ukraine has not commented on the claim.
The village is 20km west of Vuhledar, which was captured last week.
Further north in the region, Russian troops are said to have reached the outskirts of the key city of Toretsk (see 8.07am post).
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Russian strike on Kharkiv injures 11 people, including teenager
A Russian attack on the Kharkiv region has injured at least 11 people, including a teenager, according to the area’s governor.
Oleg Sinegubov said the industrial district of the region was hit and that authorities were working to identify the weapon used.
Among the 11 people injured is a 16-year-old and three are in “serious condition”, he said.
We’ll bring you more as we get it.
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Ukraine’s top general discusses ‘military’ angle of Kyiv’s ‘victory plan’ with US
The head of Ukraine’s armed forces has discussed the military component of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “victory plan” with the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi and Air Force General CQ Brown spoke on the phone before the pair’s meeting at a US airbase in Germany at the weekend.
Gen Syrskyi said he also briefed Gen Brown on the battlefield situation and Ukraine’s critical weapons and equipment needs.
Victory plan explained: Mr Zelenskyy first mentioned the victory plan on Ukraine’s Independence Day. He later told CNN: “For us, victory is to be very strong and ready for strong diplomacy.
“And that is why I have prepared several points – four of them are the main ones, and one that we will need after the war.”
The “victory plan” document has yet to be published, but elements of the contents have emerged in the media.
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